Therapeutical vacuum apparatus.



APPLICATION FILED NOV.11,1913.

C. E. BUCK.

THERAPEUTIGAL VACUUM APPARATUS.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

@Maanen/ fig@ moro-Urns., WASMINGVUN. D C',

CHARLES E. BUCK, or B os'roiv', Massaciinsniv'rs.

THERAEEUTICAL VACUUM( APPARATUS;

mousse.

To Zt `1li/fom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. BUCK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of lVlassachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Therapeutical Vacuum Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to apparatus for creating a vacuum on the external surface of a part of the human body for therapeutical purposes, and it is embodied `in a simple and effective appa atus of this character including a suction cup adapted to bear on the skin, and an air pump adapted toexhaust air from the cup, the pumpfbeing quickly engageable with and removable fromthe cup so that the cup may be left in position on the skin while a vacuum is maintained therein, and the relative arrangement of the cup and pump being such that the operation Aof the -pump does not tend to lift the cup from the skin.

. Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a vacuum ap paratus embodying `my inventions Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged side view of the valve shown in section inFig. 1 and Fig. l represents a section online lf-4 of Fig. 3.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the gures.

` In the drawings, 12 represents a glass cup having an open end or mouth adapted to be seated on a portion of the surface of a human body and a shank portion 13 at the opposite end, the shank portion being integral with the cup and provided with an air passage 14;.

To the inner shank portion 13 is attached i an outer shank portion preferably composed l of a metallic casing 15 and a filling 1V@ composed of a suitable cement adapted to harden around a shoulder on the inner shank por-` tion 13 and rigidly connect the two shank portions. The outer shank portion is provided With an air passage 16 in line with the passage 14 and of smaller diameter than the latter. The inner end of the passage 16 has a concave enlargement 17 surrounding the passage 16 and forming a concave wall of a valve chamber. The outer end of the inner shank portion 13 forms an annular valve chamber wall 18 surrounding the passage 1li and opposed to the concave wall 1".

19 represents a cup shaped valve composed Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 19113.

Patented Aug. l t5, Milli.

Serial no. ceac of elastic rubbe *and having an annular rim and formed to bearon the annular wall 18. The convex side oi the valve 19 is formed -to bear on the concave wall 17. The valve is provided `with a slit 21 formed by cutting through the crown of the valve with a sharp edged blade without removing `any of the n'iateriazl. 'llhc said slit extends across the air passage and :is adapted to he opened by thus permitting escape of air from the cup, and to be closed by air pressure on the convex side ot' thevalve, thus preventing air from entering the cup `through the passage 16. 'lhe outer end of the `outer shank portion is tapered externally to form a male coupling member 22 through, which the air passage `1G extends.

The apparatusincludes an air pump, the intake end ol. which `is provided with an `elastic compressible bushing 23 havinga recess -l which forms `the wall of a female coupling member adapted to Hfrictionally and detachahly engage the male coupling 22 and form au air tight 4joint therewith. In the embodiment of my invention here "shown, the bushing-23 is inserted ina metal casing which is closed at one `end hyya head @Gand has an air passage 27 communicating with autuhular piston rod 28." Said rod passes through a guide 25) at one cnil of a pump barrel 30. .'lfhcrmfl Zefis provided `with a piston 3l having a close sliding lit ou the interior ot the barrel 30. lhe au' passage through the rod 28 extends through `the piston as il'idicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 so that when the barrel is moved on the rod in the direction indicated by the ar` row, air will be exhausted from the cup 12, the valve 17 opening to permit air to pass from the cup, and closing when the exhausting movement o't the barrel ceases. The

single ,movement in the direction indicated will produce a sufficient vacuum in the cup. The casing 25 and the recess 2111 are arranged crosswise of the rod t28 so that the said rod and the barrel 30 stand at substantially a right angle with the cup 12. This arrangement prevents the movement of the barrel in the direotion of the arrow from pulling the cup outwardly from the surface on which it bears, so that theoperator in holding the cup will-exert only sullicient force to `prevent the cup from tipping sidewise.

2O surroluiding the concave'side of the valve air pressure on the concave side of the valve,

barrel is preferably elongated so that a In other Words, the recess 24 faces at substantially a right angle with the pump, and Consequently operation or the pump, when the cup l2 is in its location of utility, will not tend to detach lthe cup from such location. rlhis is because suoli endwise nievenient as might be imparted "io the rod "P8, during the operation olf the pump ttor `pro-- ducing a vacuum in the cup l2,

oil' movement, if imparted `a direction to ward and from the cup, or in the line of its longitudinal center, resulting` from the operation lor the pump, would be likely to either separate the, two members of the coupling` or :detach the cup from the location which has been given to it for ycreating 'vacuum on the sii-rino@ of part or' the laminati body.

The .described construction :of the Ye-up and its two-part shank is simple and relatively inexpensive and enables an Aelastic Vabre .of the character shown to. be employed, said -vl ive requiring nospring and being lof very ,single Icon-struction. 'ifhe .outer male `coupling member on the cup shank :and the recessed elastic bushing ,23 on the piston rod enable the, shank :and barrel to be quickly connected and .disconnected Withoifit the use of screw threads. lnpraotice :a number of oups .l2 `can be employed, the cups being fof diilerent sizes and each heu/Ting a male ooi-b pling member 22 on its shank adapted to engage the bushing 23. The inner shank por- :ti-on 13, may `loe provided with an external screw thread as, .shown by Figs. l :and 2, said thread forming' the above-mentioned shoulder around which the Aceizoent lilli-ng l5ad hardens. The out-er vsli-ank .port-ion is Copies of this patent may be obtained. for 'five .cents each, by addressing the is not suilr :tient to more than slightly rock the cup Without detaohing it, whilethe same `amount purposes of therefore adapted t0 be unscrewed from the inner shank portion t0 permit the removal and renewal or theV valve.

I claim l. A vacuum apparatuscomprising a cup havingI a shank provided with. an air passage and a coupling member, a valve to permit air to passifrom the cup and to prevent air ltroni passing into the cup. and an air pump having;` at its intake end a coupling member to cooperate With the-coupling menr ber of the cup, the couplingmember lcarried by the pump facing at substantially a right vangle With said pumpwhereby :operation of the latte-r will not tend to detach the cup from its location of utility. Y

2. A vacuum apparatus oomp-risii-ig -a cup having a rigid shank tapered -a-t its router end to 'lorm :a male co ling member, the vshank being provided W' h an air passage extending; through said Amember and enlarged bet len its 'ends to vtorni a valve Chamber, :a Valve in said chamber adapted to permit :air to pass from the cup ,and 'to prevent air from passing into the eup, and an air pump having at-its intake lend a -oompressible `elastic female Coupling member adapted to frict-ionally and .letaCha-bly engage the said :male

coup mg member and form .an -air tight joint therewitli2 the Icoupling member carried by the pump facing .at substaruzially a riO'ht angle with said-pump whereby ol ation of the latter will not tend (to dtach the cup from its location of utility.

In testimony whereof l have aiiixed my signature, in presence or' two i tnesses.

CHARLES F. BUCK.

Nitnessesz I v ALICE 1C. RYAN, voRY F.- Faisons.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

